"...Contretemps most
pleasingly mix elegance and entertainment, charm and cultural history, in
their very unusual production performed with wit and integrity"... The
Stage

"Uproariously funny in both conception and performance... "
Berliner Allgemeine

"It was throughout an exciting lesson in
cultural history" Der Tagesspiegel

"A
highlight was the guest appearance of the ensemble Contretemps from
London... " Zutphens Dagblad

"Unclouded pleasure..." Berliner
Zeitung

Contretemps was formed in 1985 by Barbara Segal and Frank Perenboom
as a dance duo. Their aim is to present the dance of earlier centuries in
a manner that is both lively and entertaining, while still remaining
faithful to the original sources. Working from early manuscripts, printed
choreographies and contemporary descriptions, Contretemps recreates the
dances of past times, with authentic costumes and the music of the period
-- either as a concert performance or integrated into stories to heighten
the dramatic appeal. Whether as courtiers at Louis XIV's Palace of
Versailles, or Harlequin and Columbine in the pantomimes of 18th century
London, their performance is supremely entertaining.

Its experience in recreating historical dance has placed Contretemps
in frequent demand as choreographers for large-scale productions. Barbara
and Frank worked jointly on the production of Purcell's Fairy Queen
at the Riga Festival of Early Music, supported by the British Council, and
individually they have been responsible for the choreography of many
productions.

They have also given frequent lecture demonstrations in schools,
universities and historical settings. In 1997/98 they will be touring as
part of Chalemie in The Hotchpotch Pantomime, sponsored by the
Early Music Network.

Contretemps has toured in the UK, throughout Europe, the Baltic
States and Australia. When performing overseas, the duo is usually
accompanied by local musicians. In the UK, it is able to draw from a pool
of musicians to suit the context - from a solo violin (or tapes) for
small-scale (and inexpensive) performances, to large ensembles for full
concert programmes.